


The Day After

by shayasar



Series: Torchwood RPS [2]
Category: Torchwood RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-21
Updated: 2012-11-21
Packaged: 2017-11-19 05:36:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/569675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shayasar/pseuds/shayasar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Waking up, panicking and a lot to talk about.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to "At Comic Con". I recommend reading that one first, otherwise this story won't make sense.

The first thing Gareth was aware of while slowly waking up, was his hand being trapped somehow. The second thing was the hand resting on his back and the warm body he was half lying on top of. The third thing was John’s aftershave. Then the memories rushed into his half conscious mind and panic shot through his body. They had fallen asleep! 

Gareth's eyes shot open. How long had they been asleep? Scott could be here any second. He wanted to wake John, when his eyes fell on the figure next to John. Gareth gasped loudly and was shocked when he realized where his hand had been trapped. He pulled it out from between the other two men, the momentum of his effort carrying him over the edge of the bed. 

The thud when Gareth crashed on the ground, his head banging against the wall, woke the other men up with a start. John's head shot up, looking around confused, jerking away from Scott when he noticed his partner lying beside him and the memories of snuggling with Gareth hit him at the same time. 

"Scott??!" 

Scott rolled to the side, not sure of his bearings. "What's going on?" 

The deep voice was enough to send Gareth into another panic attack. He scrambled wildly to his feet, his face distorted in horror. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck... I'm sorry, I..." Stumbling over his own words, his feet followed their lead, making Gareth almost lose his balance. Only a firm grip to the table saved him from tumbling over while retreating quickly to the door. "I...It's not... fuck... fuck, fuck. Scott..." With an almost pleading face, Gareth begged for forgiveness from John's partner, flipping his gaze back and forth between John's horrified and guilty face to Scott's somewhat expressionless one. 

"Gareth... I..." John looked in agony at the younger man, before his gaze switched to his partner. "Scott..." Desperation was lining his words and he suddenly wished for the time to stop and rewind itself. 

Scott said nothing, just watched how Gareth crashed against the door, fumbling for the handle to open it. Turning one last time to look at the two men on the bed, he yanked the door open and fled the room, leaving it in absolute silence when it slammed shut again. 

John didn't know what to do or say, he was afraid to look at his partner of 15 years for the first time in all those years. 

The deafening silence was enough to drive him mad, he expected Scott to yell at him, hell he wanted Scott to yell at him. He could deal with that, but the utter silence from his partner terrified him. 

"I... we..." John started, but stopped again, not knowing what to say. Everything he wanted to say sounded dull and wrong even to his own ears. He had cheated on Scott; there was no nice way to put it. 

"I'm so sorry." He managed to press out and risked a glance at his partner. The emotionless face that greeted him was enough to scare the shit out of him. He was going to lose Scott. He felt his heart break and cursed himself for his own stupidity. He had risked his relationship with... yes, with what exactly? He almost called Gareth a fling, but he would lie to himself by saying that. The young man was so much more to him than that. How was he going to fix this? He didn't want to lose Scott, not for the world, but there was no denying the fact, that he loved Gareth as well. He buried his face in his hands, much like the young man had done the evening before. 

"Scott, I..." He just didn't know what to say to make this situation better; there was nothing he could say. "I'm so sorry." He repeated himself finally. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for what was without a doubt coming. 

"I know you hate me for cheating on you, all I can say is that I'm really sorry. There is nothing to make this right, because it isn't. I... we... Gareth never wanted it to go this far, he didn't want to get between us, but I couldn't let him go." John knew his words would end everything, but he couldn't lie to Scott anymore. He looked at his partner pleadingly, begging for forgiveness he knew he would never receive. 

Scott still hadn't moved from his position beside John. He kept his face expressionless and just stared at his lover. All this wasn't really a surprise to him, he had known about John's feeling towards Gareth for a long time now, but actually hearing John admit to them was a totally different story. It was hurting, really hurting and he was questioning himself if he had really made the right decision last night. He believed John that Gareth didn't want to get between them, so much was obvious after a look into the terrified and guilt stricken face of the young Welshman, but it always took two people. Gareth hadn't put an end to it, he let himself be dragged along by John and although Scott knew how hard it was to resist John Barrowman, he could have put more effort into trying. 

"If you want me to leave, I will get my stuff and go." 

John's quiet voice startled Scott from his thoughts and he reached a hand out and put it on John's arm. The hopeful and disbelieving look almost put a smile on his face. John really was afraid to lose him; he loved him after all. That was all he needed to know. 

"John, what time is it?" 

"What?" Confused, John looked at his partner; this was the last thing he had expected to hear.

“What time is it?”

John opened and closed his mouth a few times, looking like a fish, before he lifted a trembling hand to look at his watch. “It’s… uhm… it’s 7:20am.”

“Good, time to get up.” Scott rolled from the bed and stretched his body, leaving his lover staring at him with an expression that clearly said, John thought he had lost his mind.

“Scott…”

“John, I got here at about 11pm,” Scott said as he pulled his shirt over his head before starting to work on the zipper of his pants while he made his way to the bathroom.

Gaping at his partner with a now constantly open mouth, John slowly processed what Scott had just said and started to put the pieces together. He had left for the hotel around 7pm yesterday, Gareth arrived around 7:30pm, and then they had talked before settling down on the bed. 

Suddenly something clicked in his mind. Scott had found them hours ago and he hadn’t woken them up, in fact he had slept on the bed next to them. John swallowed hard when the revelation seeped in, Scott had done nothing. He had found them, snuggled up on the bed together, and he had done nothing. That wasn’t entirely true, he had actually joined them. 

John blinked a few times. What did that mean? That Scott thought they had only talked and fell asleep over it? Like friends? But friends wouldn’t be snuggled up to each other like that. And even if he had thought that, John’s confession just a few moments ago would have corrected that false assumption. Rubbing his hands over his face, John felt totally confused. 

He rolled from the bed and padded towards the bathroom, expecting to find the door locked, but it was slightly open. After knocking tentatively, Scott asked him inside. John pushed the door open and watched Scott, who was just finishing brushing his teeth.

“Scott, I…. I don’t understand…”

But his partner was just looking at him with the same expression as before. Scott, still silent, slipped out of his boxers and stepped into the shower.

Rubbing with one hand at his neck, John was at a loss for words. He watched Scott soaping himself up and washing his hair, but there was still no sign of rage or sadness.

“You understand what I just told you, right? I… I betrayed you.” Nearly choking on his words, John felt the tears rising and a cold hand gripping his stomach.

“I know.”

The simple response shook John more than any outburst of anger could ever have. He felt his legs quiver and slid down to the floor, sitting in the doorway, not able to move or think.

Scott watched his lover and rinsed the remaining foam from his body, switching the shower off. He grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower, rubbing the soft cloth over his body. When he was finished he dropped it to the floor and squatted down next to John who had his legs pulled up to his chest with his head buried between them. Reaching out, Scott slid a hand under John’s chin and lifted his partner’s head until the red rimmed eyes looked at him.

“I’ve known for some time now that you’re in love with Gareth,” he stated and pressed a soft kiss to his lover’s forehead before getting up again and stepping back into their room. He went to his suitcase and pulled some fresh underwear and a t-shirt out of it.

John watched him in shock. Scott had known what was going on between him and Gareth? And he hadn’t said anything about it? John didn’t know if he should be even more terrified now or thankful to have a partner like Scott. But however he put it, it always ended with him betraying his lover with someone else. This may have been forgiven in their early days, neither of them were a saint back then, but now, after their civil partnership it was just unthinkable.

“Scott, please talk to me.”

“What’s there to talk about? You cheated on me, I found you out, and you apologized.”

John’s eyes grew wider. “You can’t mean that. You can’t forgive me so easily, if ever!”

Scott chuckled humourlessly. “You know, I had an awful long time to think about it. Yesterday was just the moment in which I had to finally decide. And I chose you, John.”

Looking at his lover disbelievingly, John started to open and close his mouth again.

“Stop doing that, you look like a fish,” Scott joked and gave his partner a half smile.

“But…”

“No buts John. I thought about it long and hard and it came to the point when I was sitting in our house in London and thought how it felt without you. You were in Cardiff at that time, filming with Gareth for the finale of Doctor Who. And even with Charlie, Lewis and CJ there, the house felt so empty. The bed was empty and I could only think of the weekend when you would come home.”

John was silently crying now, the tears streamed down his face and he couldn’t take his eyes off his lover. 

Scott had sat down on the bed, his hands in his lap and was fumbling with the ring on his finger. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his gaze and looked at John. 

“I knew by then that you had slept with Gareth. Don’t ask me how. I just knew something was different between you two and it was more than the lingering looks and the subtle touches.” Scott swallowed and forced the tears back, which threatened to fall. 

“I felt awful, John. I won’t sugar-coat that for you, my heart was breaking and the fear of losing you was all I could feel. I knew you couldn’t just drop your feelings for Gareth, I know that’s not possible. I felt the same when I first met you and you were still seeing Paco, and I knew then that I wanted you. I couldn’t get you out of my head and when we met again and you were solo, I grabbed you. But even if you still had been with Paco, I probably would have tried to get you for me.”

John didn’t know what to say for the umpteenth time today. He just looked at Scott and his feelings were in turmoil. Fear, guilt, sadness, even a bit of anger, but above all was the love for this extraordinary man who was sitting in front of him.

“Are you really forgiving me?” Whispering, he watched the reaction of his lover, hoping for a nod, a yes, anything.

“I think so, yes.”

John was scrambling to his feet in light speed, kneeling down in front of Scott, taking his lover’s hands in his.

“You have no idea what this means to me.” The tears were still streaming down his face, but the relief he felt was overwhelming. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. I will forget Gareth; I’ll even quit doing Torchwood when it means you’re staying with me. I will never ever betray you again.” The words spluttered out of him, finally finding words which didn’t sound dull or false. And he really meant it; he would stop doing Torchwood if it meant Scott was not leaving him.

“You can’t do that.”

“Watch me.” John got to his feet and made his way to his bag to pull out his phone when Scott grabbed his wrist.

“No John. I don’t want you to quit Torchwood. It’s your dream and I would never take that away from you. And as far as forgetting Gareth goes… I don’t want you to do that either.” Scott smiled at John’s confused face and pulled his partner to sit next to him on the bed. “As I’ve said before, you can’t just stop loving someone. You just can’t, I know.” He lowered his gaze and started playing with his ring again. “And I had a lot of time to think and I’m not a blind man. Gareth is really attractive, he is a nice guy and I really like him…” Scott stopped, not sure how to say what he was trying to say.

“Are you trying to say what I think you’re saying?” John put a finger under Scott’s chin and lifted his lover’s head, looking in the stunning blue eyes he loved so much. “Are you suggesting… you know… the three of us?”

“Would that be a problem?” Suddenly scared, he wasn’t welcomed into this; Scott backed up and got to his feet. “I…I thought…”

John got up as well and pulled his lover to face him, putting his hands on Scott’s face and looked him in the eye. “You are one extraordinary man, Scott Gill. What on earth made me deserve you?” He pressed his lips to the familiar mouth of his lover, kissing him tenderly before pulling back and looking him in the eyes again. “Are you sure, you want to do this?” John was still not sure about all of this himself, the whole situation had taken a complete left turn and instead of losing his partner, he might get another one as well. “You don’t have to do this. Just say it and I’m all yours forever.”

“No, I’ve thought it through; at least I hope I did. I want to try it.”

“Well, that leaves telling Gareth then and seeing what he has to say to this.” John smiled at Scott and kissed him again. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to have such a partner. He pulled his lover down on the bed and promised himself to make love to him in the best way Scott could imagine. This was all about him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gareth sets off...

Gareth stormed blindly down the hallway to the elevators, smashing his finger on the call button. He had never felt this awful in his life, his conscience was screaming at him, telling him what a bad person he was. He should have stopped this long ago. Fuck, he should have never started it in the first place. Crashing his fist into the wall, he begged for redemption, ignoring the pain in his knuckles. Tears threatened to fall, but he forced them back, denying himself the permission to cry. He had no right to feel sad; it was his fault that John and Scott would break up now. 

Angrily blinking the tears back, he glanced back down the hallway. Another surge of guilt hit him, coupled with a dose of fear and desperation. Not only Scott would hate him now, but John as well. He would not only lose John as the man he loved but he would also lose John's friendship. A sob escaped his lips before he swallowed forcefully. 

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Kicking the wall, he glanced again down the hallway. There was no screaming yet, but there would be, he knew it and when Scott would throw John out of his room, he didn't want to be still standing in front of the elevator. Smashing his finger again on the call button, he cursed inwardly when the display showed the elevator stopping at the second floor. Gareth looked around and found the door to the stairway. Pushing the door open, he ran down the flight of stairs, missing the last step and almost tumbled over. However, he managed to keep his balance, but a sharp pain in his ankle told him he had twisted it. He clenched his teeth, trying to ignore the protesting muscles and continued his way down. He needed to get out of the hotel, needed to get as far away as possible. 

His head was spinning and images of Scott's face, looking at him with those cold blue eyes and John's horrified expression with the pleading look he gave his partner, were repeating themselves. 

Tears were welling up in his eyes again, when he burst through the door to the lobby. Half running, half limping he made his way to the exit, pushing the glass doors open. He didn't care where to go, just turned right and started to hurry down the road, his vision blurred from the tears. 

How could this happen? He wasn't even into men! But John was different, had always been special to him and the knowledge he would never see him again cut deep. And he wouldn't see him again. There was no way he was going back the convention centre, although he was contracted for another day. And there was even less a chance for him returning to do Torchwood, how could he? And besides from that, John would talk to Julie to fire him. John was the lead, he was the show, he had the power to do that. 

He wasn't able to hold back the sobs anymore, the tears spilled over his face while he stumbled over the pavement, passing shops and people without noticing. A lot of them were looking at him, concern written on their faces, but no one approached him, no one asked what was wrong. 

Gareth had no idea where he was going, but he didn't care. He just needed to get away from that hotel, away from John and away from Scott. His ankle protested each step on the way, but the guilt and the anger of himself were overpowering everything. He still saw the faces of the other men, knew they would haunt him for a long time. It was his fault; he had destroyed a happy relationship, a relationship that had lasted for 16 years! Fuck he had been only ten years old when John and Scott got together, just a kid. And now he was the reason for them to end their love. Scott would not forgive John's infidelity, Gareth was sure of it. 

He rounded a corner and bumped into a young man, wearing a rapper outfit, who shoved him back instantly. 

"Hey fucker, watch were you going!" 

Gareth just stared at him, noticing for the first time there were people around him, people who were all looking at him, judging him. They seemed to know what he had done. There were looks of disgust and open hatred and worst of all looks full of pity. His eyes darted from one person to the other and he felt their condemning looks crushing him. Whirling around, he burst through a couple and set off further down the road. He needed to be alone, he couldn't stand those looks. 

When he passed a small alley, he ran into it, glad to see it empty. There were only a few waste containers lined up and he squeezed between two of them, his back hitting the brick wall. Sliding down the wall, he pulled his legs to his chest. The sobs were still shaking his body and he clawed his fingers into the fabric of his jeans. He was still angry at himself for crying. He didn't deserve to be crying, he was the one who had caused all this trouble, all this despair. But still he couldn't stop the sobs escaping his throat; every attempt at swallowing the tears down failed and left him only sobbing heavier. 

It took him almost half an hour to calm down a little and stop crying. 

The faces of Scott and John were burned into his mind and he saw no way to make his mistake right again. It was just not possible. How could you correct a betrayal like that? Well, Jack would forgive Ianto, as Ianto would forgive Jack he thought humourlessly, but that was fiction. This was the real life and John was not a guy from the 51st century with the reputation of fucking everything that moved. He had devoted his life to Scott and made a promise at their civil partnership. Fuck, Gareth had been there himself!

"Fuck, fuck, fuck." Gareth muttered his silent mantra. He couldn't think straight, his feelings were in turmoil and he hated it. He hated himself for getting into this thing with John. But it wasn't really a 'thing', was it? Gareth smiled at the thought of being in John's arms, feeling save and loved and absolutely content. 

Angrily he shook the memory off. It was that kind of thinking that got him into this mess in the first place. What was he supposed to do now? He had lost his best friend and quasi-lover and his job all in the same second. 

He rested his head on his knees and closed his eyes. His future had been mapped out nicely before and now it was only chaos. 

His phone chose that moment to start ringing. John's voice singing 'You're so vain' was filtering up from his pocket, telling him John was trying to call him. 

Gareth wasn't really a fan of John's sort of music, but he thought that title fit John perfectly and he had set his phone to play it whenever John was calling him. This time he ignored it though. Hearing John's voice was hard enough when he was singing, but he could never talk to him. Not now, maybe not ever again. He knew that was childish and eventually he would have to talk to John, and Scott. He needed to apologize again. It wouldn't help the situation, but he had to do it. He had to show Scott that he really regretted what had happened. 

The phone stopped after a minute, Gareth hadn't moved and was startled when the phone started up again, this time playing the Torchwood theme. Fuck, this was either Julie or Peter, his agent. Both of them probably wanted to tell him that he was thrown out of Torchwood. He swallowed hard and decided he could listen to this news as well now as later, it wouldn't make a difference. He fumbled the phone from his pocket and looked at the display. It was his agent. Taking a deep breath and attempting to steel himself against what was coming, he answered the call. 

"Hello." 

"Gareth, where the hell are you?" 

Gareth blinked a few times and looked around. He had actually no idea where he was, but it didn't matter anyway. 

"Look, I know what you're going to say, it's alright." 

"What?" Gareth could almost see the confused expression on Peter’s face. "Nothing is alright! You're supposed to be here at the centre, sitting at your table and sign bloody autographs! Now move you bloody ass and get over here. I already have the con manager in my neck, asking where you are." 

"I can't come to the con." 

"Excuse me?" 

"I... I just can't." 

"Listen to me young man, you will get your ass moving now or...." He didn't finish his sentence but Gareth had already cringed by hearing the angry sound of Peter’s voice. He had a contract with the con and couldn't break it, he knew that, but it seemed impossible to sit at his table next to John and pretend nothing had happened. He heard his agent talking to someone and suddenly there was another voice in his ear and made him wince. 

"Gareth, it's me, John. Please, don't hang up, just listen to me first." 

Gareth was holding his phone with clammy fingers, only hearing John speaking to him with no hint of anger in his voice was enough to make his stomach flip. He looked numbly at a point on the opposite wall and nodded slowly, not realizing that John wouldn't be able to see that. 

He heard a change in the sounds coming through the phone and it went quiet, but he could still hear John's breaths. John was obviously moving to a more private location.

"Where are you, Gaz?" John's gentle voice came over the phone. 

Gareth blinked again and looked around for a second time. "I... I don't know." A sob escaped his lips and Gareth couldn't help his voice tremble. "I'm so sorry John. I never wanted... oh god, I'm so sorry...." 

"Shhh, calm down. It's ok, don't worry. Now, I want you to look around and..." 

"How can it be okay?" Gareth sobbed into the phone. "Scott found us out, he knows you have... he knows that we... how can this be okay?" His voice was becoming hysterical, his breathing fast and ragged. 

"Gareth!" John's sharp tone managed to snap Gareth out of his hysteria; it was the same tone he used for Jack barking orders in Torchwood. "I need you to calm down, okay? You will understand everything when we have a chance to talk. But now you have to tell me where you are. Can you do that?" 

Gareth nodded again numbly and scrambled to his feet only to give off a groan, when his ankle protested against to be moved. 

"What's wrong, Gaz?" Worry lined John's words and Gareth felt strangely comforted by that. 

"I twisted my ankle when I ran down the stairs in the hotel." Suppressing another moan, he used the waste container as a support, limping slowly in the direction of the main road again. When he stepped out on the pavement he looked around, searching for a street sign. He felt his stomach clench, when he didn't find one. 

"Gaz?" John was clearly worried sick by now. 

"I... I don't know... there's no street sign." Gareth was starting to feel scared; he had been lost as a four year old boy the last time. And he remembered the feeling well. Fuck, he was a grown man it was time to act as one. He looked around and fixed his eyes on an elderly woman who came his way. Lowering the phone he stepped in her way, startling her in the process. 

"Excuse me, I'm sorry, I didn't want to startle you, but could you tell me the name of this street? I'm not from here and it seems I'm lost." He forced himself to present her his friendliest and warmest smile and was relieved when she didn't hit him over the head with her bag. 

First she eyed him suspiciously though, but seemed to decide that he wouldn't be a threat in the end. So she smiled back and patted his arm. "Oh, you poor lad. This is Front Street, if you go back one block you’ll find a bus station. From there you can get back to wherever you need to go." Still smiling warmly, she gave him a closer look. "Are you alright? You look awful." 

Gareth's forced smile changed to a genuine one, from all the people here, he chose a Scottish lady. "I'm fine, thank you. And thank you for your help, I’ll be alright now. Have a nice day." He hobbled to the side to let her pass, but all he managed with that manoeuvre was her stepping closer and extending an arm to hold him steady.

“What’s wrong, lad? You’re clearly in pain.” Worry showed on her face and made her wrinkled features looked so much like his grandma that he had to stifle another sob.

“I… I twisted my ankle, but I will be fine. I promise.” He smiled at her and showed her his phone. “I tell my friend where I am so he can come and get me. Thank you for your help.”

When the woman still didn’t move, he got the feeling she wasn’t believing him, so he lifted the phone to his ear again.

“John, I’m in Front Street.” Looking at the woman, he hoped that was enough to satisfy her, but to his surprise she snatched the phone from him.

“Hello? Aye, this is Mrs. McCann speaking, I hope you will move quickly young man, your friend doesn’t look so good. And why is he all on his own here anyway? You are quite a friend!”

Gareth watched the woman berate John over the phone in embarrassment but couldn’t quite stop the smile that played around his lips.

”Oh, you’re Scottish.” The woman smiled and listened to John, who had obviously switched to his Scottish accent. “Alright luv, I just want you to make sure you take care of the sweet laddie. I can stay with him until you get here.”

“You don’t have to do that!” Gareth exclaimed now seriously blushing, this woman really was like his grandma, already cooing over him.

She just waved him off and concentrated on the conversation. 

“Aye, we’ll wait.” Ending the call, Mrs. McCann smiled at Gareth and handed the phone back. “What a nice young man your friend is. He will be here shortly. Now come, sweetie, let’s get you seated.”

She stepped closer and slid an arm around his waist and helped him hobble to a nearby café, pushing him down on one of the chairs.

Gareth didn’t know what to say, he let the lady fuss over him and thanked her obediently for the coffee she placed in front of him and smiled when she started chatting about everything and nothing. Carefully sipping the hot liquid, he lost himself in the warm Scottish accent that was washing over him and finally calmed down. He knew the quiet wouldn’t last, but for now he was at peace, not thinking about anything.

It didn’t take long for a silver Chrysler to pull up at the sidewalk and Gareth gulped heavily when John emerged from the car. The sunglasses firmly in place, he lowered his head slightly so he could glimpse over the rim. 

Gareth felt his calmness melt into nothing and all feelings rushed back in with a vengeance. Just seeing John made him want to jump in joy and hide at the same moment. He swallowed hard, when the other man closed the door of the car and started to walk around it.

“There you are,” John smiled warmly at him, nothing hinted at the horrible situation earlier.

Mrs. McCann stared at John, obviously recognizing him from somewhere, but she couldn’t quite place him. Then the penny dropped and a huge smile spread on her face. “You’re John Barrowman!” She exclaimed and practically jumped from her seat, which was impressive for a lady of her age.

John gave her his most dazzling smile and took the glasses off, stretching his hand out to her. “That I am,” he confirmed and smiled even broader, when the woman grabbed his hand and shook it forcefully.

“Oh, I’m a big fan of you Mr. Barrowman! I’ve seen you performing in the West End in the middle of the 90’s when I was still living in the UK.” Her accent had become extremely thick and Gareth had a hard time to understand her, but John just smiled and thanked her, pulling her into a hug and made her day with that little move.

“Alright Mrs. McCann, I’m in your debt, you saved my friend here. How can I repay you?”

The woman only slapped him on the chest, still half in his embrace and not attempting to let go of him soon. “You don’t have to do anything. It was my pleasure to help the poor lad.”

The whole scene was sort of surreal to Gareth. He watched John interact and flirt with the old woman and had her reduced to a giggling 14 years old in no time at all. It was when movement behind John caught his attention that made his heart drop.

Scott was just climbing out of the car.


	3. Uncertainty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at the con...

John noticed the change in Gareth, when the younger man crumbled on the chair, his shoulders hunched, his gaze firmly locked on to his coffee cup. He turned around and saw Scott standing awkwardly next to the car, looking unsure of what to do next.

John looked back and forth between the two men before he bent down to Mrs. McCann and handed her a card.

“Madame, this is my card. I would be delighted if you would give me a call later today so we can arrange for me to take you to dinner tomorrow.” He smiled, when the old woman stared at him with wide eyes and then nodded fiercely.

“Of course, Mr Barrowman.”

“You can call me John.”

Her smile almost split her face and she swayed slightly, gripping his card tightly in her hand.

“And you may call me Sophia, my dear.”

“Alright Sophia, I hate to let go of you, but I think I have to take care of my friend now.” He indicated with his head to Gareth and she followed his gaze, seeing the young man hunched over, looking even more miserable than before.

Finally letting go of John, Sophia stepped to Gareth and tipped his head up. “Hey luv, don’t be sad. Your friend is here and I know he will take good care of you or otherwise I will kick his balls tomorrow at dinner.” Satisfied she coaxed a weak grin out of Gareth, she brushed a kiss to his forehead and straightened up again. “Right, time for me to go now. I have an outfit to pick for my date.” She winked at a grinning John and gathered her bags. With a final ruffle through Gareth’s hair, she set off.

“Thank you, Mrs. McCann!” Gareth managed to call after her and received a warm smile in return.

“You’re welcome, my dear.”

She watched John squatting down in front of Gareth and smiled before she turned around, already mentally going through her wardrobe.

“So, you made a friend out here?” John grinned at Gareth and received a half smile in return which disappeared instantly when Scott stepped closer as well.

Gareth wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. He wasn’t ready yet to face Scott. Fuck, he wasn’t ready to face anyone. His eyes were burning from crying and he knew they were red rimmed.

“Why are you here, John?” He asked quietly, not daring to look at the other man.

“I guess we had an agreement that I would pick you up.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

John sighed and looked at Scott for support. He had no idea how he should tell Gareth what he and Scott had talked about, regarding Scott being willing to have Gareth in their lives. 

He was just opening his mouth to say something, when Gareth’s head shot up and his gaze fixed on Scott. Tears were already pooling in his eyes and threatened to fall.

“I’m so sorry, Scott. I just don’t know what to say. I fucked up big time, it’s… it’s all my fault, John didn’t want to go this far, I pushed…”

“Oh no, none of that Gareth Lloyd! You won’t take all the blame on yourself, besides I’ve already told Scott everything.”

Gareth’s pain and guilt stricken face almost broke Scott’s heart. He looked down at the younger man and felt his decision from last night being even more right than before. Squatting down next to John, he took one of Gareth’s hands in his.

The young man’s eyes widened in shock and he tried to pull his hand away as if it was on fire, but Scott held on firmly.

“What is this, how can you stay this calm?” Gareth asked with a trembling voice, being totally confused.

“I’m not angry,” Scott said simply, which had Gareth gaping at him. He seemed to have that effect on people today. Smiling he reached up with one hand and gently pushed the younger man’s mouth closed again. “Maybe we should go somewhere more private?”

Gareth nodded numbly and let himself be pulled up by John, who slid one arm around his waist to support him, while he hobbled over to their car. Scott held the door open and Gareth slid on the backseat, not able for the life of him to figure out what was going on here. He felt as if he was taking part in some weird dream.

Watching the other two men climb into the car as well, he felt the anxiety rise again. This couldn’t be it; they couldn’t just pretend that nothing had happened and move on. There was no way he could keep going like this. He swallowed hard, he couldn’t face this. The car suddenly seemed to be too small, he couldn’t breathe properly, his heart beat tripled and he broke into a cold sweat.

“Are we going to the Convention Center?” He asked, forcing his voice to sound casual.

“Actually I was thinking of going back to the hotel. You know, to talk.” John looked at him through the rear-view mirror.

“Uhm… my agent, he said I’m supposed to be at the Con, signing. He… he said the Con Manager was giving him a hard time.”

“Are you sure?” Turning around this time, a small frown appeared on John’s forehead.

“Yeah.” Trying to plaster a confident and determined expression on his face, Gareth held John’s gaze before the other man had to turn his attention back to the road.

“Well then, the Convention Center it is.”

Gareth gave a relieved sigh and closed his eyes for a moment, missing the worried glance between John and Scott.

When they pulled up in front of the backstage entrance, Peter was already waiting for him, taking a drag on his cigarette. Half a dozen cigarette stubs on the ground gave evidence to how tense he was.

“About time!” He barked when Gareth opened the door and climbed out of the car, carefully avoiding putting too much weight on his sprained ankle. “Where the hell have you been?”

“Sorry,” Gareth glanced sheepishly at the older man and started to hobble towards the entrance. “I…”

“What happened?” The anger had disappeared from Peter’s voice and he quickly stepped closer to his client, wrapping an arm around his waist.

“Nothing, I just twisted my ankle.”

“How bad is it? Really, don’t gimme crap here.” Pushing the door open, he helped Gareth inside.

“Really, it’s not that bad. I don’t think there’s anything broken. I just twisted it funny, it will be okay.”

Scott and John followed the men at a small distance. Scott grabbed John’s hand and held him back when Gareth disappeared through the door.

“What are we going to do? I’m not sure he wants to talk to us.” He glanced anxiously after the younger man and was only distracted from his thoughts when John placed a hand on his face and turned his head to him.

“He is still in shock. You finding us out was what he always feared, he told me so just last evening. He didn’t want to come between us and now he thinks that’s exactly what happened. And I don’t blame him. To be honest I’m still stunned myself by your reaction and hope this is not a dream and when I wake up, you will be gone.”

The desperate fear of losing Scott settled back into John’s eyes and it took Scott’s reassuring smile and a tender kiss to make him believe a little more.

“I know it’s hard to understand. I’m not sure I understand it myself completely. But I don’t want to lose you and if that means sharing you with a stunningly handsome young Welshman with the most beautiful blue eyes and a smile to die for, then I’m more than willing to take my chances.”

John smiled warmly at his partner. “You truly are an amazing man. You put up with so much crap from me, I really don’t deserve you.” 

A single tear rolled down John’s cheek and as if on cue, Scott pulled him into a crushing embrace, both men clinging to each other like their lives depended on it.

John buried his face in his lover’s shoulder, breathing in his aftershave and lost himself in the feeling of safety Scott gave him. With Scott he could be the weak one, with Scott he could let go and let someone else take charge. He couldn’t believe he jeopardized all of this, but the reason for it had just vanished into the Convention Center.

John took a last deep breath, inhaling Scott’s scent before he broke the embrace and stepped back.

“Let’s go inside. I have the feeling that the talk has to wait. Gareth needs time and to be honest, I’m thankful for that. I really don’t know how we’re gonna break the news to him.”

Scott looked at John; he could feel that there was more to it than that. He stopped his partner with a tug on their still joined hands, when the other man turned around to enter the building.

“John?”

Glancing at his lover sheepishly, John looked like a five-year-old who was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

“There is more to it than that, isn’t it?”

Looking down at the floor, John gave the same picture as Gareth earlier, shoulders hunched and completely miserable.

“Tell me.”

“I… I just… I’m afraid he will say no.” Risking a glance at Scott, John peered up at him through his lashes. “And I feel awful for thinking that, because it is supposed to be just us anyway.

“I think we’re all not ready for the talk then, because I fear the same.” Scott pulled him into another hug. “And maybe it’s time for a change in our relationship.”

John had a hard time swallowing his tears down this time. It was true what he had said, he felt like this was a dream or some kind of sick joke. They had promised fidelity to each other and he had broken that promise. Scott had forgiven him. Even more, he had suggested making Gareth a part of their lives. And as much as he wanted this all to be true, wanting to believe what Scott was saying, he still waited for the other shoe to drop.

“Come on, there are hundreds of fans waiting for their Captain. Do you think you can face them?”

John gave a half smile. “The show must go on.” Sometimes he hated the fact that he was a public person and had to always put on a happy face for his fans. But they were the reason that he was where he was now, so he took a few deep breaths and straightened his shoulders.

Scott smiled at him and gave him a quick peck on the lips before he smacked him on the arse to send him his way. He watched John disappear into the building and had to take a deep breath himself. Although he had much more time to think about this and to come to terms with the whole situation, it was easier to play out the possible outcomes in his mind than to really have to go for it.

However, his decision was final. He might not know Gareth all that good, but everything he had seen from the young man so far had appealed to him in a way he knew he would have fallen for the Welshman if positions were reversed.

A glance at his watch told him that they had a long day ahead of them, it was only 11:20 am and the signing would certainly take a few hours. It was Friday and the Convention Center would be even more packed than the day before.

When Scott entered the backstage, neither Gareth nor John was anywhere to be seen. They must have been ushered to their booth right away. Fumbling his badge from his pocket, he slipped the lanyard over his head. When he pushed the door open to the public floor, the sound intensity was almost deafening. There were definitely a lot more people around today. He found his way through the masses and was relieved to find both Gareth and John already sitting at their tables, smiling at their fans and signing everything that was pushed under their noses.

He noticed the somewhat stiff posture both men showed, but only someone who knew them well would make that observation, though it was clear that they avoided looking at each other, except for quick glances.

Scott hoped the day would move by quickly and settled down on the couch behind the signing tables, keeping John and Gareth in his sight.

As the day went on, Scott became really impressed with the acting skills of both his partner and Gareth. They acted as if nothing at all had happened, smiling at countless faces, shaking numerous hands and writing their names hundreds of times. Even when they were all ushered to the green room for lunch, no one noticed the slightly off behaviour of them. They were laughing with John’s family and their agents, talking to other Con guests and just generally appearing to have a good time.

It was approaching 6 pm before the lines of waiting fans died out and the interviews were done. Scott had walked through the Convention Center complex at least four times throughout the day, every time not seeing anything on display, but deep in his thoughts. He doubted his decision again, was it really the right one? Was he really honest with himself? Could he share John with someone else? Could he really forgive John for betraying him? 

But every time he came back to the booth and looked at John, he knew he would always forgive that man. And when his gaze shifted to Gareth and he watched the young man smile at his fans, with a little twinkle in his eyes, Scott was mesmerized. He would give it a shot. If Gareth was willing to try it, they would do it. 

Finally John, Gareth and Naoko had satisfied the last signing wishes from their fans and were gathering their stuff. The halls were slowly emptying and another day at Comic Con came to an end. Scott followed John and his family to the green room, looking back only once to make sure Gareth was going that way as well. 

Peter was helping the young man to his feet, but Gareth’s ankle was already much better by now. He had had his foot propped up on a chair for the whole day and Peter had seen to it that it was covered in a cooling compress for most of that time.

When they reached the green room, John was surrounded by his family instantly, but Scott could hear him tell them that he wanted some time alone with his partner. Scott couldn’t hide the smile when John’s dad made a cheeky comment about what time alone means. Nevertheless, he was glad John had made that move. Now they had time to talk. 

Glancing over to Gareth, he saw him hugging Naoko. She would leave town tomorrow for L.A. and it would be some time until they would see each other again.

He smiled at her when she walked over to him to pull him into a hug.

“Take good care of John, will ya Scott?”

“Oh I will, believe me!”

She giggled and hugged him a second time before turning to John. Her colleague swept her up into his arms and pressed a sloppy kiss to her mouth, this time for real.

Everyone laughed when Naoko screeched and struggled to get down again. They hugged for a long time, both not able to stop the tears from falling.

Scott caught Gareth looking at the two of them with a longing, albeit sad, expression on his face. Scott wasn’t sure if it was because Gareth wanted to be held like that or because he missed Naoko as much as John did.

Finally John let go of Naoko, wiping the tears from his eyes before he smiled down at the small woman and used his thumb to gently brush the tears from her face as well. Scott couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other, but John eventually let her go and turned to face Gareth.

Peter was just asking if he should drive the young man to his hotel, when John announced that they would take Gareth with them as they were all booked into the same hotel.

Scott saw the Welshman swallow visibly, but was glad he didn’t object the offer.

They finally left the Convention Center at 6: 20pm and reached their hotel only fifteen minutes later. The trip was very quiet, neither man wanted to say anything; each was contemplating the coming conversation.

When John parked the car in the hotel garage, Scott gathered their bags and went to call the lift. John climbed out of the car and opened the backdoor to help Gareth out as well.

He could feel how tense the young man was, he wasn’t feeling any better, but he needed to reassure Gareth that nothing bad was lying ahead of him.

“Listen Gareth, everything will turn out just fine, trust me.” John gave him a convincing smile that he didn’t himself believe in, but he hoped the young man wouldn’t notice. Unfortunately he had no such luck.

“Why are you looking this worried then?” Gareth felt like he was walking to his execution, but he wanted to go through with it now. 

The two men joined Scott at the lift just when the doors opened. They climbed inside and Scott pressed the button for the fourth floor. All three were standing as far away from each other as possible, the tension literally filling the enclosed space.

It was 6:42:15 pm when the earth started to shake and the lift stopped dead, the lights going out, leaving them in complete darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I took some liberty with the dates here, but it was too convenient not to use it *lol* The first thing I thought, when I heard about that earthquake was: Oh my god, hopefully the boys are not in that area anymore!!!
> 
> So, in my story they ARE still in the area… I checked the map and the earthquake extended to San Diego, so they should get a nice shockwave there as well.
> 
> In reality, they “missed” the quake by a couple of days 
> 
> Earthquake - 29.7.08 at 18:42:15 Pacific Time  
> Comic Con 24 - 27.7.08  
> Torchwood Days 24/25.7.08


	4. Big Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final talk...

All three of them screamed rather undignified when the floor beneath their feet began to move and then came to an abrupt halt, sending them tumbling to the floor. It only lasted a few seconds, but it frightened the shit out of them. The darkness wasn't really helping either and they called out for each other desperately hoping the others were alright. 

"What the hell was that?" John was the first to speak after they had found and grabbed their hands in the dark, his voice clearly showing fear. 

"If I should make a guess, I would say, it was an earthquake," Scott stated dryly as he squeezed his partner's hand. At least he hoped it was John's hand. 

"What are we going to do now?" Gareth suppressed the urge to laugh hysterically; it seemed this day was getting worse by the minute. When he felt someone move next to him, he shifted position as well. Sitting up properly, he stifled a groan as his ankle protested to be bent under him like that. 

But in the moment, the emergency lights flickered to life; every thought of his pain was forgotten. John was sitting pressed against the wall, his legs pulled up to his chest, his breath was ragged and his eyes were unfocused. 

"John?" Gareth scrambled next to his friend, putting a comforting hand on the other man's arm. 

Scott's head shot around to look at his lover. 

"Oh, fuck!" He had examined the door when the lights came on, but now he rushed to John's other side, pulling the man into his arms. 

"What's wrong with him?" 

"He's claustrophobic," Scott answered, rocking his partner gently in his arms, whispering soothing words in his ear. 

"Oh fuck!" Gareth repeated Scott's remark. "What can we do?" 

"We need to calm him; he is having a panic attack. Just talk to him, he needs to know he is safe." 

Gareth nodded and took John's free hand in his, stroking soothing circles with his thumb, while his other hand gently carded through John's hair. 

"Hey, Jinny Baza,” he whispered in John’s ear. “Try to focus on Scott; can you feel his arms around you? You're safe with him." Gareth felt his hand suddenly being in a death grip and he skidded closer to John, making him feel his presence. "Come on John, concentrate on my voice, I need you to come back to me. We still have to talk, remember?" Glancing up at Scott, he saw the other man smile at him. Gathering all his courage, he fixed his gaze on John again. "Look, I know this sounds like a cliché, but try to imagine a wide open field. We are sitting in the middle of that field, looking at each other. Look at me John." Gareth pulled John's head around and waited until his friend's eyes fluttered and finally focused on him. "That's it, very good. Now, can you feel the wind tousling your hair?" Gareth was relieved when Scott picked up on this and softly blew at John's head. 

Scott felt that Gareth's fantasy game was working; John relaxed slowly in his arms. 

"Go on, it's working," he encouraged the younger man further. 

Gareth was at a loss, he didn't know what to do. John was reacting to his story, but he had no idea how to pull the other man from his catatonic state. He could only think of one possibility, but he couldn't do that in front of Scott, not after everything that happened. But John needed him, he had to do something. Cursing everything in general and mentally preparing for Scott beat the crap out of him; Gareth bent down and pressed his lips on John's. The reaction was immediate, the blue eyes widened in shock, focusing on Gareth's and then the young man felt John respond to the kiss. He could have lost himself into the kiss, but he forced himself to end it, pulling himself back with such force that he fell backwards, scrambling back a few feet for good measure. Gareth didn't dare to lift his gaze; he knew he was a dead man. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." 

John's brain needed some time to catch up, the small room was forgotten, and he just looked stunned at the younger man, licking absently over his lips. Then he realized that he was still in Scott's embrace and his partner had been witness to their kiss. His worried gaze shot up to look at his lover, but the expression on Scott's face told him all he needed to know. 

Scott felt his mouth standing open and he snapped it shut again. It seemed he wasn't immune to the trend. He didn't know how to react, what to say, what to do. He had watched them kiss on Torchwood, but that was always onscreen and in character. But to be up close and see them kiss directly in front of him was totally different. His heart was racing and his palms were clammy. The image of his partner kissing Gareth had burned itself into his mind and he would treasure it forever, it was the sexiest thing he had ever witnessed. More so, it made him want to taste the young man for himself, press his lips on the delicious mouth of the Welshman, on lips that could curl into the most beautiful and adorable smile. John wriggling out of his embrace brought him out of his reverie. 

"Gareth?" John addressed the young man softly and scrambled to his knees to crawl over to the picture of misery before him. 

"I'm sorry. I just.... god, I'm so sorry!" Gareth couldn't look up; he didn't want to see the hatred on the other men's faces. Burying his face in his hands instead, he started to cry silently. 

John reached out to put his hand on Gareth's back, but the young man flinched away. 

"No! I... leave me alone." 

"Gareth, please." 

"It's my entire fault. I'm so sorry. I can understand that you don't want to see me anymore; I will quit Torchwood, I... I... I know that you hate me." The words poured out of him, ignoring John's attempts to interrupt him. 

"Gaz! I don't hate you!" John finally shouted and regretted his harsh tone when the young man winced. "I love you. And I want you to be with me, with us," he added softly. 

That had the desired effect and the Gareth lifted his head, looking through swollen eyes at John. 

"What?" It was barely a whisper. 

"I said, I love you." 

Hope flashed over the young features, but it was instantly replaced by fear. 

"How can you say that? You love Scott." 

"I do." 

Gareth felt like he was in the middle of some prank, his face hardened. "I see, I hope you have a good laugh at my expense." 

"What?" Now it was John's turn to be confused, but the penny dropped quickly. "No! Gareth..." He skidded even closer to the young man, glad he didn't flinch away when he used his hands to cup the beautiful face. "This is no joke, Gareth. Remember what I told you yesterday about how I love the both of you and wish I could have you and Scott at my side?" He waited until the other man nodded. "Scott wants it as well. That was what we wanted to talk with you about." 

Gareth didn't trust his ears. Had John just told him Scott was okay with them being together? His gaze flickered to the blond man, still sitting on the other side of the cabin. He saw no hatred in those eyes, but this couldn't be true. 

"You can't be serious!" Staring at Scott, Gareth waited for the other man to crack an evil grin and kill them both. 

"I've never been more serious in my life. Scott knew about us for a long time..." John tried to convince the young man. 

"I thought a lot about this, believe me," Scott chimed in. He skidded over as well, sitting down next to John. "It wasn't easy and I have no idea if it will work with the three of us, but I'm willing to try it, if you want it as well. And before you ask, yes I was angry. I hated you and I hated John, but like John said, I knew for a long time now and I spent a lot of time thinking about what I really want. And I came to the conclusion that I don't want to lose John. And to be honest, you are a pretty hot man and I want to get to know you better." 

"Hey, that almost sounds like you're hitting on him," John joked, trying to lighten up the mood. 

"Maybe I am," Scott replied, never taking his gaze off of Gareth who still stared at him disbelievingly. 

"But you love John, don't you?" Gareth asked, only whispering, afraid to break the spell of what seemed to be the most wonderful moment in his life, Gareth looked at Scott, searching for any indication that the other man was lying. 

"I do. And because I love him, I want him to be happy. And being with you makes him happy." 

"So, you are willing to share?" Gareth still couldn't believe this. Here they were, sitting in a broken elevator after an earthquake and Scott was presenting him his lover on a silver plate, offering him the opportunity to take part in their lives, being close to John and being close to Scott. Well that was the catch, wasn't it? It was a two package deal, if he wanted John he would get Scott as well. Gareth wasn't sure he was ready for that. Fuck, a threesome? He was barely coming to terms with being in love with only one man to start with. He had been straight his whole life, how was he supposed to handle being in a relationship with two men? 

Scott brought him out of his thoughts, when he gently touched his arms. 

"Yes, I'm willing to share. I want to try, if we can make it work." 

Gareth could only stare at the blond man. Finally he tore his gaze away and looked at John, who still had his hands on his face, thumbs slowly stroking his cheekbones. John was looking at him expectantly; he clearly wanted Gareth to accept the offer. 

Just when Gareth wanted to say something the elevator lights came back on and the cabin continued its ascension. Gareth used this as his cue to scramble to his feet and hit the button for the third floor, where his room was. He looked down apologetically at the two men still sitting on the ground. "I'm... I'm sorry..." He watched John's face fall and it broke his heart, but he needed time to think. "I need time, please. Don't expect me to make a decision right now." 

"Of course not, take all the time you need," Scott said quickly, noticing that John was too shell shocked to say anything. 

Gareth nodded thankfully and squeezed through the doors as soon as they opened. 

John numbly watched the limping figure disappear into the hallway before the doors closed again, the lift transporting them one floor up. Scott got to his feet and held a hand out to pull John up as well. 

"Give him time. Put yourself in his shoes, what would you've done?" Scott grabbed their bags and tugged gently on John's hand. "Come on, let's take a shower." 

John let himself be pulled out into the hallway and obediently trotted after Scott to their room. The whole day had been one rollercoaster of feelings. Fear, guilt, anger, hope, joy and despair had alternated and he had never felt so forlorn in his whole life. Scott was offering him everything he had wished for, but Gareth had shattered it all with just a few words. 

Scott noticed John's hunched posture and pulled the other man into a hug. He should feel relieved or angry about Gareth not agreeing right away, or he should feel angry at John for being so miserable about it, but he was not. He understood the young man. 

"Just give him time, John. He was right; you can't expect him to make a decision like that on the spot. I needed weeks to make that decision, you had a whole day to think about it, now give him the same chance. And we will be okay with whatever he chooses. No hard feelings." 

John nodded slowly, his face buried in Scott's shoulder, still not able to talk. 

"Come on, let's take a shower in the meantime, maybe I can cheer you up a bit." Pulling back from the embrace, Scott gave John a wicked grin and was relieved when he received a lopsided smile in return. 

** 

Gareth was thankful when he reached his room and slipped the key card into the slot, pushing the door open after the click. He threw his bag on the table and crashed down onto the bed. Looking at the ceiling, he didn't move for over an hour. Repeats of the day were playing in his head paired with memories of his time with John in his trailer and in his house mixed with pictures of Scott looking at him, asking him to join their relationship. 

He still couldn't believe Scott really wanted this, he was afraid the other man only asked him to join them in an attempt to keep John. Or worse, John was the one who had persuaded Scott to say it. Gareth knew how John could overrun you and make you do things you've never wanted to do, things you never even thought of. What if Scott didn't really want this? 

Gareth sighed. He was thinking about this for an hour now and he wasn't getting closer to a decision. Besides from that, something was nagging at his mind, something important. He let the last day pass before his inner eye for the umpteenth time now, but the detail still escaped him. It was when he started with the current day again, that it hit him. He sat up straight in bed. How could he have missed that? He scrambled from the bed and grabbed his key card and was out of his room a second later. His ankle was protesting the sudden movement, but the pain had reduced to a dull throbbing now. 

He hobbled to the elevator and hit the call button. This time the lift came promptly and Gareth pushed the button for the fourth floor, his heart beating in his throat. He needed to do this quickly or he would lose his courage. When the doors opened he headed straight for John and Scott's room, knocking against the wood, before he could change his mind. 

A moment later Scott opened the door a smile instantly spreading over his face when he saw Gareth. "Hey, come in." 

Squeezing past the other man, just like he had done 24 hours ago with John, he found himself again pacing the room. John was on the telephone and from the sound of it he was speaking with Mrs. McCann, probably sorting out their date for the next day. Strangely it gave Gareth some comfort to know that the old woman was on the other end of that phone call and he stopped pacing and turned to face Scott. He cleared his throat and took a breath before he asked his question. 

"What time did you get here last night?" 

Scott's smile got even broader if that was possible. "Around 11 pm." 

Gareth processed this new information for a moment, before his mouth fell open. "But..." 

Scott laughed, stepped closer to him and for the second time this day gently pushed the young man's mouth close. 

"Yes, it means I didn't wake you up." 

"You really want this?" Gareth needed to be sure of Scott's sincerity before he could make his own decision. 

"Yes, Gareth. I thought a very long time about it." 

"And John didn't do anything to persuade you?" 

"Oi!" Pressing his hand over the phone, John protested the accusation. His heart had skipped a beat, when he saw Gareth entering the room, and he cursed the fact he couldn’t end the phone call instantly. But he had promised a date to Mrs. McCann and he wasn't someone to break promises... well, at least not on a regular basis, he thought guiltily, remembering Scott and their civil partnership. 

"No, John had no idea I knew about you two. You can believe me, this is purely my decision. And I'm not doing this so John wouldn't leave me. Because I know he wouldn't." 

Gareth nodded in understanding and lowered his gaze to a point on the carpet. 

Scott and John watched his every move in apprehension, John almost forgetting that Mrs. McCann was still on the phone. 

Finally Gareth looked up again, locking eyes with first John then Scott. "I can't make any promises..." The rest of his sentence got lost in John's triumphant howl. Gareth couldn't help himself and put a silly grin on his face. 

"Sophia, I think we make it a table for four, if that's alright with you?" John was talking to Mrs. McCann as well as to Gareth and was relieved when he got a nod from the young man and obviously a yes from the woman. "We will pick you up at 7 pm then. I'm looking forward to it. Have a pleasant evening." 

John cut the call and threw the phone carelessly onto the table before he pulled Gareth into a tight hug. Then he did something he had never dreamt of doing before, grabbing the young man's head, he pulled him into a tender kiss directly in front of his partner. When he ended the kiss, he pressed his forehead against Gareth's and whispered a quiet "Thank you." 

Releasing Gareth from the grip, he turned to Scott and repeated the procedure. Then he stepped back and looked at the other two men. 

Both were swallowing hard and didn't move. They just looked at each other and waited for the other to start. In the end Gareth decided it was his turn, as Scott was the one who had made this all possible in the first place. He stepped closer to the older man and took Scott's hand in his. 

"I can't promise you anything. John is the first man I've ever been attracted to and I have to be honest with you. I have never felt anything other than guilt concerning you, but I hope that will change." He glanced anxiously into the blue eyes opposite him and was surprised to see them twinkle with a smile. 

"I don't expect you to fall head over heels for me, but maybe I can chase away some of the guilt. And I can finally do what I wanted to do all day." 

Reaching out one hand to cup Gareth’s face, he put the other flat on the young man's chest. Asking silently for permission, he was happy to feel Gareth nod slightly. He leaned forward and gently pressed his lips to Gareth's, first hesitantly then more eagerly when he felt the other man respond. They kept it simple, but when they parted and looked at each other, both men smiled, knowing that this was only the start of something wonderful. 

And it was not until John loudly cleared his throat that the two of them could tear their eyes apart. 

"So, what do we do now?" 

Gareth shrugged and looked back to Scott, who looked as clueless as he felt. 

"I guess now, we take things slowly. John, you might know Gareth inside out, but I don't and I want to get to know him better, much better." Smiling widely he looked at the young man who had blushed slightly. 

"Alright, but can we do that lying down? I don't know about you two, but I'm knackered. And I'm not proposing anything here!" John added quickly when he saw the reprimanding looks of his partners. His partners... he let the words roll over his tongue. They felt good. 

"Well, we managed last night… I don't see any harm in sleeping together in the same bed again?" Gareth looked at Scott questioningly and grinned when the other man nodded. To be honest with himself, he really needed to be in John's arms right now and snuggling on the bed seemed the best way to achieve that without going too far. 

They arranged themselves with John in the middle and Gareth and Scott sharing his chest like the night before. Gareth stretched his arm out and Scott took the hint, weaving his fingers through the offered hand, both snuggling even closer to John. Realizing just how tired they were, John used the switch on the headboard to turn out the lights and gave his favourite men each a kiss on the head before relaxing into the cushions. 

Before they drifted off to sleep all three of them had the same thought unbeknownst to the others.

“This might really work.”

FIN**


End file.
